Ballot measure petition deadlines and requirements, 2020
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In order to land an initiative or referendum on a statewide ballot, supporters must collect enough valid signatures from voters. The required number of signatures and the dates by which they are due to state election officials vary by state.
Deadlines and requirements
The table below shows the signatures deadlines for each state that features a process for initiatives, veto referendums, or both. It also gives an explanation of the deadline since the significance of the dates can vary by state. For example, some deadlines are for signatures submission, while others are the deadline to complete verification. Finally, the chart shows the number of signatures required for indirect initiated state statutes (IndISS), initiated state statutes (CISS), veto referendums (VR), and initiated constitutional amendments (CICA).
Legend:
= Signifies a deadline that has passed. Some states have more than one deadline, with differing deadlines depending on the type of ballot measure or because there are multiple stages in the petition submission process.
Note: The signature requirement is a projection for New Mexico.
| Deadlines and Requirements for 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Deadlines | Explanation | Signatures required |
| Alaska | 01/21/2020 |
IndISS: 365 days after petitions prepared or before legislature convenes on January 21, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 28,501 VR: 28,501 CICA: N/A |
| Arizona | 07/02/2020 |
CICA/CISS: July 2, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 237,645 VR: 118,823 CICA: 356,467 |
| Arkansas | 07/03/2020 |
CISS/CICA: July 3, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 71,321 VR: 53,491 CICA: 89,151 |
| California | 06/25/2020[1] |
CICA/CISS: June 25, 2020 (verification deadline). Each initiative has its own deadline. The secretary of state suggests submitting signatures two months before the verification deadline. VR: 90 days post-signature |
CISS: 623,212 VR: 623,212 CICA: 997,139 |
| Colorado | 08/03/2020 |
CISS/CICA: August 3, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 124,632 VR: 124,632 CICA: 124,632 |
| Florida | 02/01/2020 |
CICA: February 1, 2020[2] VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: N/A VR: N/A CICA: 766,200 |
| Idaho | 05/01/2020 |
CISS: May 1, 2020[3] (each petition has its own deadline of 18 months after it was cleared for circulation) VR: 60 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 55,057 VR: 55,057 CICA: N/A |
| Illinois | 05/04/2020 |
CICA: May 4, 2020 | CISS: N/A VR: N/A CICA: 363,813 |
| Maine | 02/3/2020 |
IndISS: February 3, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 63,067 VR: 63,067 CICA: N/A |
| Maryland | 05/31/2020 06/30/2020 |
VR Round 1: May 31, 2020 VR Round 2: June 30, 2020 |
CISS: N/A VR: 69,135 CICA: N/A |
| Massachusetts | 07/01/2020 11/20/2019 12/05/2018 12/06/2017 |
IndISS: November 20, 2019 IndISS: July 1, 2020 CICA: Dec. 5, 2018; Dec. 6, 2017 VR: 90 days post-signature Signatures must be submitted to local registrars of voters by two weeks before the first Wednesday in December. Local registrars of voters must submit certified signature petitions to the secretary of state by the first Wednesday in December. |
CISS: 93,611 VR: 40,119 (53,492 to suspend law) CICA: 64,750 |
| Michigan | 05/27/2020 07/06/2020 |
CISS: May 27, 2020 CICA: July 6, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 340,047 VR: 212,529 CICA: 425,059 |
| Mississippi | 10/09/2019 |
CICA: October 9, 2019 [4] | CISS: N/A VR: N/A CICA: 86,185 |
| Missouri | 05/03/2020 |
(CICA/CISS): May 3, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 100,126[5] VR: 100,126[5] CICA: 160,199[5] |
| Montana | 06/19/2020 07/17/2020 |
(CISS/CICA): June 19, 2020 (Counties); July 17, 2020 (Secretary of State) VR: 6 months post-adjournment |
CISS: 25,468 VR: 25,468 CICA: 50,936 |
| Nebraska | 07/03/2020 |
(CICA/CISS): July 3, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 85,592[6] VR: 61,137[6][7] CICA: 122,274 [6] |
| Nevada | 08/03/2020[8] 11/13/2018 |
IndISS: November 13, 2018 CICA/VR: August 3, 2020[9] |
CISS: 112,543 VR: 97,616 CICA: 97,616 |
| New Mexico | 07/03/2020 |
VR: 90 days post-adjournment (final deadline: July 2, 2020) | CISS: N/A VR: 70,165 [10] or 201,018 [11] CICA: N/A |
| North Dakota | 07/06/2020 |
CISS/CICA: July 6, 2020; all petitions have unique deadline as well (1 year after cleared for circulation) VR: 90 days post-signature |
CISS: 13,452 VR: 13,452 CICA: 26,904 |
| Ohio | 12/27/2019 07/01/2020 |
IndISS: December 27, 2019 CICA: July 1, 2020 VR: 90 days post-signature |
CISS: 265,774 VR: 265,774 CICA: 442,958 |
| Oklahoma | 09/04/2020 |
CISS/CICA: 90 days max circulation VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 94,911 VR: 59,320 CICA: 177,958 |
| Oregon | 07/02/2020 09/27/2019 |
CISS/CICA: July 2, 2020[12] VR: 90 days post-adjournment (2019 bills: September 27, 2019) |
CISS: 112,020[13] VR: 74,680 CICA: 149,360 |
| South Dakota | 11/03/2019 |
CISS/CICA: November 3, 2019 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 16,961 VR: 16,961 CICA: 33,921 |
| Utah | 02/15/2020 |
CISS: February 15, 2020, or 316 days after the initiative petition was filed with the lieutenant governor, which ever comes first VR: 40 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 115,869 VR: 115,869 CICA: N/A |
| Washington | 1/3/2020 07/02/2020 |
ITL: January 3, 2020 by 5:00pm local time ITP: July 2, 2020 by 5:00pm local time VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
ITP/ITL: 259,622 VR: 129,811 CICA: N/A |
| Wyoming | 2/7/2020 |
CISS: February 7, 2020 VR: 90 days post-adjournment |
CISS: 30,792 VR: 30,792 CICA: N/A |
Key terms
See also
- Laws governing the initiative process
- State ballot measure websites
- Initiative frequency of constitutional amendments related to time for signature collection
- Ballotpedia's election and deadline calendar
- Initiative signature requirement changes caused by 2018 voter turnout
Footnotes
- ↑ This is the verification deadline.
- ↑ Initiative signatures must be verified by February 1, 2020, and, thus, must be submitted to county officials long enough before that date to allow for the verification process. County supervisors of elections have a maximum of 30 days to verify signatures and submit them to the secretary of state, which means to guarantee that local officials verify and submit signatures, they should have been submitted by January 2, 2020
- ↑ Due to a court ruling, the signature deadline was extended to August 26, 2020 for the Idaho Income Tax Increases for Education Funding Initiative
- ↑ Once a sponsor receives a ballot title and summary, proponents have one year to circulate petitions and receive certification from the county circuit clerks. Petitions must be submitted to the secretary of state at least 90 days prior to the beginning of the regular session which begins in the first week of January. Signature petition sheets must be submitted to and certified by county officials prior to submission to the secretary of state. Petitioners are recommended to coordinate with county elections officials to determine when signatures must be submitted to county officials in order to meet the early October (of the preceding year) deadline for submission to the secretary of state.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 This signature requirement is the requirement if petitioners collect signatures in the smallest of the state's congressional districts to satisfy the state's distribution requirement. Collecting signatures in larger districts would result in a slightly larger signature requirement.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 This requirement is based on the state's voter registration report released on July 1, 2020. Since the Nebraska signature requirement is based on the number of registered voters at the time of filing, the number required is variable.
- ↑ This was the signature requirement for a veto referendum petition that did not suspend the enactment of the targeted law until the election. To suspend the targeted law, approximately 122,274 signatures would have been required.
- ↑ The deadline was extended from June 24, 2020 by a court order.
- ↑ The deadline was extended from June 24, 2020 by a court order.
- ↑ Signatures required to put the targeted bill before voters without suspending the enactment of the law
- ↑ Signatures required to suspend the law until the election
- ↑ Due to a court ruling, the signature deadline was extended for the Independent State and Congressional Redistricting Commission Initiative to August 17, 2020.
- ↑ Due to a court ruling, the signature requirement was lowered to 58,789 signatures for the Independent State and Congressional Redistricting Commission Initiative.
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Signature requirements |
|---|---|
| Signature requirements |
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Petition companies |
American Petition Consultants • Arno Political Consultants • Bader & Associates, Inc. • Canvasser Services • Capitol Assets • Democracy Direct • Democracy Resources • Discovery Petition Management • FieldWorks • JSM, Inc. • Kimball Petition Management • LAMM Political Partners, LLC • Masterson & Wright • National Ballot Access • National Petition Management • National Solutions • National Voter Outreach • PCI Consultants, Inc. |
| Terms |
Approved for circulation • Initiative petition circulation periods • Circulator • Circulator affidavit • Forged signature • Fraudulent signature • Invalid signature • Paid circulator • Petition • Random sampling • Registered voter • Signature certification • Signer • Signer intent • Valid signature • Volunteer circulator • Signature transcription |
| Petition drive deadlines |
2008 deadlines • 2009 deadlines • 2010 deadlines • 2011 deadlines • 2012 deadlines • 2013 deadlines • 2014 deadlines • 2015 deadlines • 2016 deadlines • 2017 deadlines • 2018 deadlines • 2019 deadlines • 2020 deadlines • 2021 deadlines • 2022 deadlines • 2023 deadlines • 2024 deadlines • 2025 deadlines |
| Signature law |
States where signature requirements are based on votes cast for governor |
